Railway-rail joint.



J. E. LEONARD.

' RAILWAY RAIL JOINT.

APPLICATION FILED 811M212, 1910.

Patented Dec. 13,1910.

FigJO 75 I nventm".

JELeonard. War

A llafney.

UNITED STATES PATEN T OFFICE.

JAMES E. LEONARD, OF WALLA WALLA, WASHINGTON.

RAILWAY-RAIL JOINT.

of the rails together, the invention consisting in the construction,combination and arrangement of devices hereinafter described andclaimed. The object of the invention is to effect an improvement in theconstruction of railway rails and to combine therewith an improveddevice for securing the ends of the rails together without the necessityof on} ploying fish plates, bolts and the like devices.

In the accompanying drawings,-Figure 1 1 is a plan of the meeting endsof a pair of rails provided with means embodying my invention, forsecuring the ends of the rails together. Fig. 2 is a side elevation ofthe same. Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse sectional view of the same onthe plane indicated by the line 1-2 of Fig. 2. Fig. 1 is a detailelevation of the bolt rod which connects and secures the ends of therails together. Fig. 5 is a plan of a rail constructed in accordancewith my invention secured by means of a modified form of my con nectingbolt rod to a rail of ordinary construction. Fig. (3 is an elevation ofthe same. Fig. 7 is a vertical transverse sectional view of the same onthe plane indicated by the line 3t of Fig. 6. Fig. 8 is a similar viewon the plane indicated by the line 56 of Fig. 6. Fig. 9 is a detailelevation of a shim plate which may be employed in connection with myimproved connecting bolt. Fig. 10 is an elevation and also an edge viewof the modified form of my improved rail connecting bolt rod Inaccordance with my invention each railway rail 7 which may be otherwiseof the usual form is provided at its ends, on one ide, with lateralshoulders 8 which are Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Dec, 13,1910, Application filed September 12, 1910.

Serial No. 581,498.

rolled or otherwise formed integrally with the rails, and whichshoulders are of suitable length and disposed directly at the ends ofthe rails. Each lateral shoulder 8 extends from one side of the railbase to one side of the edge thereof and presents a vertical outer side9 and an inclined side 10" which converges upwardly to the head of therail. Each lateral shoulder 8, which forms a reinforce for the end ofthe rail is provided with an opening 11, of cylindrical form, whichextends therethrough from end to end and the said openings in the saidlateral shoulders at the meeting ends of a pair of rails constructed inaccordance with my invention aline so that a cylindrical connecting boltrod 11 may be passed immediately therethrough. In one side of eachopening 10 is a groove 12 which is disposed radially with referencethereto. The length of the connecting bolt rod somewhat exceeds thecombined length of the lateral shoulders 8 at the meeting ends of :1pair of rails so that the ends of the said connecting bolt when thelatter has been placed in the openings 10 project beyond the outer endsof the said lateral shoulders 8, and the said projecting ends of theconnecting bolt are provided with key ribs 13 which may be formedintegrally therewith or otherwise constructed as may be desired andwhich key ribs aline with each other. IVhen passing a connecting boltrod through the openings 10 of the meeting ends of the pair of rails,one of the key ribs slides through the grooves 12. hen the connectingbolt rod reaches the required position with its ends projecting beyondthe outer ends of the lateral shoulders S, the said bolt rod is thenpartly turned so as to move its key ribs 13 out of alinement with thegrooves 12 and dispose the said key ribs with their inner ends opposedto the outer ends of the lateral shoulders 8, thereby locking theconnecting bolt rod in place in the lateral shoulders of the rails andcausing the same to securely fasten the ends of the rails together, aswill be understood.

In Figs. 5 and 6 I show one of my rails 7 with its lateral shoulder Ssecured to the opposing end of a rail 14 of ordinary form. hen thusarranged my improved connecting bolt rod has a cylindrical portion 11sufliciently long to engage the shoulder 8 of the rail 7 and providedwith the key rib 13,

as in the former instance, and the said connecting bolt rod is formedWith a flattened and broadened fish plate portion 15 which is adapted tobear against one side of the web of the rail 14 and is secured theretoby means of bolts 16 which pass through openings in said fish plateportion of the con necting link bolt and in the shank or Web of the rail14:. In this form of my invention a shim plate 17 may be employedbetween the fish plate portion 15 of the connecting bolt rod and theshank or web of the rail 14. It will be understood that when securingone of my improved rails to a rail of ordinary form, the cylindricalportion 11? of the form of my connecting bolt rod, shown in Figs. 5 to10, will be first engaged With and secured to the shoulder 8 of the rail7 and the fish plate portion 15 of the said connecting bolt rod will bethen bolted to the shank or web of the ordinary rail 14.

Having thus described my invention, What ders and provided at its endswith radial key ribs to engage the outer ends of said shoulders and tooperate in the said grooves when said connecting bolt rod is beingapplied to or removed from sald rails.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in the presenceof'two witnesses. JAMES E. LEONARD. l Vitnesses JOHN H. Pnoieo, E. L.CASEY.

